


Prepare Your Blade

by mrc2



Series: Devour The Cynics [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Angry Keith (Voltron), Gun Violence, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt Lance (Voltron), Implied Sexual Content, Lotor is a Creep, M/M, Oblivious Keith (Voltron), Oblivious Lance (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Protective Boyfriends, Protective Keith (Voltron), the others are mentioned - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-04
Updated: 2018-01-04
Packaged: 2019-02-28 11:01:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13270068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrc2/pseuds/mrc2
Summary: "Dual handguns? You can barely shoot a gun yourself." Lance said as more bullets whizzed passed them. He ducked his head quickly before straightening up again."I know. These aren't for me.""For me? Aww, dear, you shouldn't have.""Shut up and shoot." And so Lance did.-- Or the one where the Paladins are assassins and Lance, unfortunately, has the role of bait to catch the shit-for-brains drug lord, Lotor.





	Prepare Your Blade

The Paladins were well-respected yet extremely feared assassin group. They killed majorly bad people for a good amount of money. They were the good guys. Most of the time. If they didn't get their money, they would happily kill their 'client'. They gave no leg-way for excuses. Their assassinations were clean, precise and quiet. Each mission was well thought out, their plans had to be perfect before they set about on their work. They didn't like leaving room for error, they didn't appreciate failing. If there was an error during a mission, they were always quick to correct it and fix the mistake. No one ever made it out alive if they were on the team's hit list. They could kiss any hopes of living goodbye. This was why people were so scared of them, because they killed without leaving any evidence that it was them behind, without a single witness. They had hidden themselves well, never leaving anything behind that could be traced back to them. Just like that, they were no one. They were all nobodies that didn't exist. They were seen as truly ruthless, savage creatures. 

However, what people didn't realise, was how much of a family the lot of them were. They protected, loved each other as if they were blood. Each of them were unique in their own ways. Shiro was the leader, Pidge was the hacker, Lance was the sharpshooter, Hunk was their tank and Keith was their stealthy swordsman. Allura was the their boss who got them their clients and sorted out who was their most prioritised target. Coran was their special medic, he healed any of them if they were hurt in any way. When not doing business, they spent time together or lived their lives normally as if they didn't kill people for a living. Hunk had a part time job at a flower shop, Pidge worked at Apple and Lance was a lifeguard at the beach. None of their colleagues even suspected they could harm a fly. Well, they knew Pidge could pack a punch. She could be a tiny angry hurricane when she wanted to be. Everyone knew to be mindful of her, careful not to piss her off in fear of her savagely roasting them. They also definitely knew not to mention the height. 

The lot of them cared deeply for eachother. The amount of times they threw themselves in front of a bullet for another paladin was innumerable. If one of them were hurt, they would worry until they were all sure that their friend would make it. Once, they had thought they had lost Shiro when he went on a solo mission and had refused to take any clients until he phoned in to tell them he was alright. They had never been more relieved to hear Shiro's voice over some crappy signal, they had heard their leader's smile in his voice. It had been majorly calming to hear he was safe, not completely calming when they were told about how he had been held captured by his target. It wasn't family-wise care for a few of them. Both Keith and Lance was completely obvious in their mad crushes for one another though both of them were completely oblivious. It was starting to frustrate the rest of the team, they all just wanted them to get rid of their sexual tension, as Pidge called it, and just get together already. It had been long enough. But the two remained clueless to the crushes. However, they weren't going to be oblivious much longer.

Their newest target was a extremely powerful drug lord, rich and flamboyant. His name was Lotor, son of an even more powerful (and practically untouchable) drug lord known as Zarkon. He usually wore purple, silk suits that were sometimes covered in glitter and a pair of black jeans which were too tight for it to be possible to breath in. Well, impossible to anyone that wasn't their target. Lotor's hair was long, white and naturally straight. It cascaded passed his shoulders down to his mid-back before stopping in a neatly cut 'v' on his back. The drug lord liked to do odd things with his hair, tied it up into plaits or put glitter in his parting to math his jacket. His body was slim with long legs and arms. He was probably muscular under the suit and tie, Lance had betted good money on it. His jaw was sharp, his nose was smoothly curved and his eyes were a oddly sharp yellow. His cheekbones were defined on their own but the drug lord 'prince' liked to put makeup on, contour making his cheekbones pop.

Lotor held a massive reputation for throwing parties and flirting with practically everyone. The Paladins had been researching on him for a while so they knew what he liked and didn't like. They had realised that Lotor wasn't just into women, he went for men too. He had a thing for brunets, he loved those who flirted back and he definitely adored blue eyes. He practically enjoyed everything Lance had. So that was why Lance had been sent to deal with luring Lotor out so they were on their own. Lance had definitely not been keen on the idea, nominating Pidge repetitively until she snapped at him. Keith hadn't been all too pleased either, his jealousy acting up as he protested that maybe someone else should try. But it ended up with Lance still doing the tempting and Keith was allowed to be the one who did the honours of killing Lotor. The others would help with the escape. Easy as pie. This had to be one of their easiest missions by-far. Lotor just made it way too easy.

So, Lance sat at a bar dressed in a navy-blue suit with a black tie which he just had to add a bit of sparkle to because the outfit was too dull and this was a party. Gotta sparkle to stand out. It was another one of Lotor's party, there was loud music booming through speakers and there must've been hundreds of people. It was a large venue. A four-story mansion that wasn't Lotor's, as they discovered, with its own bar and large garden with a pool which people were already drunkenly jumping into fully-clothed. Lance leant against the counter, a cocktail in his hand and spinning it slowly to move the liquid inside. Gotta make himself look tempting, he'd seen it on several movies. His eyes slowly moved over the crowd of people before he saw Lotor. The drug lord seemed to be teasing some woman, his fingers underneath her chin to lift it up and his lips so close to hers as he whispered to her. The woman looked drunk beyond belief. Lotor was taking advantage of that, catching her while putting his hands in places he shouldn't touch when she stumbled. Her eyes were blue and her hair was a chestnut brown like always. Lance just looked down at his drink, why did it have to be him to deal with this white-haired creep?

"Hello." Lance jumped at the sudden voice, raising his head to see none other than Lotor standing in front of him with a small smirk. The man's gaze shamelessly wandered over Lance's figure as he chuckled at the other's surprise. Lance fought the urge to kick him in the crotch. Wow, Pidge had really rubbed off on him. "I did not mean to scare you." Lotor said though he didn't sound apologetic at all, "I am Lotor, this is my party." 

"I know." Lance said simply, pulling on one of his trademark smirks as he looked up at Lotor, "I came here just to get a glimpse of you, never expected to speak with you. I've been told you sell some useful things." He was sure to give a playful wink after that to indicate he meant the drugs. Lotor didn't look surprised at all, instead he just laughed and nodded.

"Only the best kind. Why? Do you need some? Well, the pretty ones always get their first one free." Lotor replied, raising a hand to gently stroke Lance's cheek. When Lance managed to fight the urge to pull away, Lotor seemed rather pleased and let his palm rest upon his skin, thumb tracing tiny circles around his cheek bone. As much as Lance loved to flirt, this just seemed completely wrong. Plus, he wasn't used to being flirted back to. It was unnerving. "I love your eyes. They're such a perfect blue, more perfect than many I've seen before." It was clear by the way Lotor seemed to be staring into Lance's eyes though it wasn't for eye contact, it was to observe the colour. He was being sincere about what he said. He really did seem to like Lance's eyes and he didn't know whether to be flattered or freaked out. "What's your name, my pet?" Oh fuck, so Lance was being called pet now. That just had to be a clear sign this plan was working but it made Lance want to shrivel up and float away.

"It's a secret." He found himself saying in reply to the question, the corners of his lips tugging upwards in a mischievous manner. He caught sight of a flash of dark red at the corner of his peripheral vision. Must've been Keith, he was watching the two of the them like a hawk. Lance was tempted to call him a stalker of their comms in his ear but that would blow his cover plus Keith was just doing his set job. "If you want to know, you'll just have to treat me first." He was the one who made the first move which strangely surprised Lotor. He leant up to close the distance between them through the height gap, lips barely brushing against Lotor's as he spoke. 

"I have the perfect treat in store for you, my darling." Lotor purred, definitely pleased with Lance's behaviour and rewarding him with his hand slipping from Lance's cheek to his side where he rubbed slowly, "Care to join me on a tour around the house?" Lance suspected it was much more than just a tour. It got Lotor alone though, perfect. So he nodded and took Lotor's now outstretched hand. He was suddenly pulled closer, a hand slunk around his waist and lips crashed against his own. He couldn't hide the surprised squeak which he would refuse to admit to if he was asked about. It only spurred Lotor on, deepening the kiss and turning so he could press Lance's back into the bar counter. Lance had to admit his lips were a lot softer than they looked. When the drug lord finally pulled away, he leant forward so he could press his lips to Lance's ear. "If you try anything, assassin, I will kill you in the worst way possible. To all the others listening in, I will slice this beautiful boy's throat if you come after me. Thank you for your time, Paladins."

Lance's blood ran cold at his words. How did he find out? Was he too obvious? He then heard several voices demanding answers in his ear piece. Lotor pulled back, kept his arm around his waist and began to drag him towards the stairs. This wasn't part of the plan. They had been so sure it would work. Fuck, they made a mistake. This wasn't like them. They must've been getting sloppy. Lance sent a worried glance over his shoulder to see Keith sending a furious look his way. If only looks could kill, Lotor would be dead already. Keith stood a few metres from the wall he had been leaning against for almost the entirety of the meeting, his fists curled at his sides and nostrils flared as though he was a bull that was getting ready to charge. They'd figure out how to sort their mistake, it was okay. They'd kill Lotor and wouldn't have to worry about him ever again. Lance really just wanted to kill him. 

He was led upstairs, down the corridor and through a red-wood door. It took him a moment to realise he was in a bedroom. It was large, held a king sized bed with what looked to be lilac, silk sheets the same colour as the floral wallpaper. The frame was black matching the rest of the furniture in the room. A large mirror was on the wall opposite the bed so, when Lance was forced to sit on the bed, he watched Lotor through the reflected image. Even with his back to his captive, Lotor had his firm smirk on his lips. It only took Lance a moment to realise his comms had gone quiet. They must be trying to figure out how to save him. So, just try and stall. 

"Why are we in a bedroom?" He asked, cocking his head to the side. Lotor paused and turned his head to look at Lance with a quirked, white eyebrow. "I mean, it's clear we're not gonna get funky. Y'know, do the do. Freaks in the sheets. Hanky panky." Lotor's smirk faltered for a second before returning. 

"Unless you want to, my dear." Lance shook his head, "Well, then, do us both a favour and shut that gorgeous little mouth of yours while I wait for my ride to get here." He said. There was a short pause of silence before he spoke again. "We're here because I don't trust being in crowds with your murderer friends about. I wanted to at least make the wait comfortable. You all thought you were so smart. But my father has told me all about the Paladins. I get the information I want whenever I want it." He stepped closer to Lance and it took everything in the boy's being not to scramble back across the mattress. 

"This whole situation is going to make your death so much worse." Lance said, trying to sound nonchalant, "We've made a mistake, we intend to fix it. Plus, you've made the rest of my team angry so, well, that's not very good for you. Hope you enjoy getting mauled to death."

"Pain excites me."

"I didn't pass you for the kinky type." 

"You'd be surprised, my darling." Lotor replied smoothly, "Perhaps I could show you just how kinky I can be." Lance tensed for a second before forcing himself to relax. Don't show fear, don't show fear. God, he was the guy with the nice gun and, sure, he liked to show off how awesome he was but being put in the front line just isn't his thing. Long distance attacks were his forté. This just... Wasn't in his comfort range. 

"Sorry, you just aren't my type." Lance replied, waving a dismissive hand. 

Lance decided to keep up his act of pretending he was completely fine in this situation even if he was finding it incredibly hard to stop himself from panicking. He had to keep reminding himself that he really would be fine, the others were probably ready to put their plan B into action. That was if they even had a plan B. If there was a plan B, Lance wasn't aware of it, they had thought that there wouldn't have been a plan B needed for this mission. Wow, they just had to underestimate the party druggie. He flopped back onto the bed with a huff. Could they please just hurry their asses, he wanted to get out of there. He didn't like being in close proximity with the guy, he gave off majorly bad vibes which Lance seriously didn't appreciate. Lotor wasn't bothered by the movement, choosing to walk to the mirror to fix a few strands of hair which had fallen out of place, muttering about how it just had to be perfect. Then his phone dinged and he let out a pleased 'ah'.

"Let's go on a trip now, shall we, blue eyes?" Lotor asked though he didn't leave Lance open to protest. He walked to the bed, wrapped his fingers way too tightly around his arm and yanked him to a feet, ignoring Lance's hiss of paint then began to drag Lance out of the room, his grip tightening every time Lance stumbled.

It didn't take too long to get to the front of the house. People were so engrossed in the party that they payed little to no attention to how Lance seemed to be struggling against Lotor's hold and tripping over his own feet to try and find some grounding, probably passing him off as some drunk who Lotor was kicking out. Lance looked over the crowds. Keith was no where in sight. Please let him be okay, please let him be okay. Lotor didn't even let go when he walked out the door, his surprisingly sharp nails digging a little too hard into Lance's skin, hard enough that Lance was sure brought blood. When he looked down, his suspicions were satisfied. He was definitely bleeding. It stung but it was nothing Lance couldn't deal with. He was an assassin for god's sake, killing bad people was his job, a little sting couldn't hurt him. 

There in front of them was a black car which resembled that of a short limousine. The windows were tinted black, it was incredibly hard to see the interior of the vehicle but, if Lance knew any better, he doubted that there would be anyone but Lotor's driver and there they had it. Lance was sure he was going to be shoved inside and whisked off to some place. Probably another one of Lotor's fancy party houses. But, just as he was shoved forward, the air erupted with the loud noise of a low rumbling. It took Lance a moment to clock it was an engine. But it wasn't the car engine.

It was Keith on his motorcycle. Looked like plan B was in the roll

"Hop on." Keith said firmly, his eyes locked onto Lotor as if daring him to move forward but the drug lord seemed to be too shocked by the sudden arrival and, not to forget, the fact he was almost hit head on by a motorbike. Not something someone got over that quickly. Lance was glad he wasn't being held by Lotor anymore. He swiftly slung a leg over the back of the bike, wrapped one arm around Keith's waist to get a secure grip then turned his head to look at Lotor who seemed to be coming to terms with what was happening. Just as the drug lord realised he was about to lose his hostage, he made to step forward but Lance gave him a playful salute with two fingers before Keith suddenly hit accelerate and the motorbike zoomed away.

Lance couldn't help but watch Lotor's face as they drove away. He found himself grinning at the fact the male's features scrunched up in frustration before he got out his phone and seemed to be angrily shouting into it. A smirk formed on his lips. He's getting angry? Good, let him get angry. He then turned his head to look forward, settling his chin on Keith's shoulder, grip tightening as they took a speedy turn around a sharp corner. 

"My hero~" He said with a grin. Being this close to his crush hit him with a major amount of feelings and it took all it could not to let anything go down south. He was praying Keith couldn't feel the pounding in his chest. He probably did, Lance was pressed up really close as he kept a firm grip around him. Act natural, he told himself. He was pretty sure Keith had rolled his eyes at him, it was just bound to happen. But then he heard the sigh of relief and Lance's head rose off his shoulder, hovering just above it. "You happy you saved me?" 

"Of course I am, dumbass." Keith replied as he took a few sharp turns while weaving through other vehicles until they were on an empty road. It was late evening, a lot of people were asleep and they weren't near any busy roads anymore. "You didn't give that bastard any permission to kiss you like that. He needs to learn some ma-" He was cut off by a bang and the sound of something hitting the motorbike and bouncing off. He spared a glance over his shoulder to see four other motorbikes speeding after them. On one, it wasn't hard to pick out Lotor from the rest. His hair was pulled up in a ponytail, he was bent forward as if willing the motorbike to go faster with his face screwed up in anger. He wanted Lance back from the looks of it. On the other bikes, there were men dressed in purple. Two on each, one driving while the other shot. 

Lance opened his mouth to ask but Keith spoke first. "I don't have your actual gun but I had these." He took one hand off the steering wheel and pulled one handgun from its holster on his belt. Lance took it and then Keith retrieved one more, handing it over as well. 

"Dual handguns? You can barely shoot a gun yourself." Lance said as more bullets whizzed passed them. He ducked his head quickly before straightening up again. 

"I know. These aren't for me." 

"For me? Aww, dear, you shouldn't have." 

"Shut up and shoot." And so Lance did. He twisted his body to shoot at one of the motorbike's tires. And, as always, his bullet hit its mark. The motorbike wobbled, the driver losing control as it spun sharply and skidded across the road before tipping over leaving the two riders trapped underneath its metal. Lance smirked in triumph. The triumph was short-lived as another spray of bullets washed over them. One managed to graze against Lance's thigh, slicing through the fabric of his suit trousers and cutting across his skin. He let out a hiss of pain through gritted teeth but it was nothing compared to what he had endured before. 

"You okay?" He heard Keith ask to which he nodded in reply. 

"I liked this suit." Lance whined, ignoring the sting in his thigh. He twisted around again to shoot but the position didn't help his aim. Especially when Keith moved the bike to the right, throwing off his aim completely. "I need a better view." Lance said with a frown as he turned to face forward. Then an idea sprang to mind. "Oi, mullet, keep the bike steady and don't you dare lose control." There was a confused mumble in response, "Move your arm." Lance said, tapping Keith's bicep. Had they been in any other situation, he would have probably admired how freaking buff they were but now really wasn't the time. Keith did as he was told, keeping his focus on the road ahead. Once the arm was out of the way, Lance rose from his seat slightly, leant forward then swung his leg over Keith's lap, his body moving with it until he was sitting in front of a surprised Keith, facing him with a large grin. Lance rested both arms on Keith's shoulder, using them to help him keep a steady aim. Luckily, Keith had managed to keep the bike steady. "Much better." Then he was firing again, dual pistols easily being pointed in different directions as he shot at the enemy with excellent precision.

He tilted his head to the side both to help him and Keith see better. If he were to see Keith's face, he would've caught sight of an extremely red, wide-eyed expression on the other's face. Both arms were around Lance as they clutched onto the steering wheel, grip tightening in his flustered state. Having Lance sat between his legs, practically on his lap, with their chests pressed together really wasn't helping Keith. Lance, however, was too busy shooting to actually rethink about the close proximity. A bullet whizzing passed his head had Keith going straight back into his working mindset, turning left and right to avoid bullets. He glanced down briefly at Lance's thigh to see a small gathering of blood on his pant leg. Lucky it was only a graze. It could've been worse. 

"Two down, two to go." Lance said. He then went to shoot one of the guns again only to have it click, releasing no familiar bullet. "Shit. That's dead." He groaned, tossing the gun off to the side. He then placed his free hand on Keith's shoulder while the other continued shooting at the people on their tail. 

"That was a perfectly good gun." Keith said simply, leaning forward slightly as he tried to speed the bike up just that little bit faster.

"You have a perfectly good gun." Lance replied on impulse, words coming a little more suggestive that he wanted. Okay, way more suggestive than he had thought. When his own words caught up with him, his eyes widened and his cheeks practically 'poofed' a red colour that rivalled Keith's jacket. Keith, well, Keith had an expression exactly the same. He almost spared a look downwards, worried that this position had got him a little too hot and bothered, but that would expose him. He just hoped Lance didn't mean anything by it.

Now was not the time nor place to hope that the guy sitting on your lap likes you back. 

It definitely wasn't the time or place when a bullet flew straight at them and right into Keith's arm, through the back of the bicep and straight through. It was enough for him to cry out in pain and lose focus, thus losing control of the bike. Lance let out a panicked shout as one of his shots went wide and the bike spun before crashing to the ground, throwing the two of them off. They hit the ground. Hard. It was all a blur, having happened so suddenly that the two hadn't quite realised what had happened until they next opened their eyes.

Lance was pretty sure he blacked out for a few seconds. When his eyes squinted open, he realised he had landed a few feet away from Keith, lying on his side with barely-opening eyes. His right arm was screaming in pain causing Lance to let out the tiniest of whines. The fact he was lying on top of it didn't help. He must've landed on it awkwardly when he fell of the bike. His head was ringing, maybe he hit it on the way down. Concussion. Oh God, Allura was going to kill him. And Keith. God, they were going to die together. He barely registered the sounds of engines cutting off, the sound of footsteps as the Paladin's target and his 'henchmen' approached the two of them. Two of them. Lance, doing his best to ignore the pain radiating from his arm, tried to raise himself from his position in search of Keith. 

Lance caught sight of Keith lying on his front, fuzzy mind taking note of how Keith's eyes were shut and his body wasn't moving. Unconscious. Lance was sure Shiro would lecture them on wearing helmets. He couldn't see the extent of how hurt Keith was but he could only hope that he wasn't that bad off. 

"Stay down, Paladin." His attempt to sit up was interrupted when a foot pressed down on his uninjured shoulder to shove him back to the floor. He luckily moved his arm quick enough so he didn't land back on it but the movement did cause pain to shoot through the limb. "Now, what do we do, sir?"

"Shoot the red one. He's of no interest to me. Blue eyes, however, has a lot to chat to me about." Lance recognised that voice as Lotor. He felt a surge of hate rush through him. God, he hadn't even known this guy for more than a couple of hours and Lance wanted to shoot him dead-centre forehead. Lucky that that's what they were planning to do. Well, not the shooting bit, more like stabbing. Stabba stabba, motherfucker. 

Wait, shoot the red one? Was he talking about Keith? Lance blinked several times to clear his blurring vision, zoning in on Lotor pulling a now-awake Keith into a kneeling position. Keith struggled weakly against Lotor's hold, still coming back to his senses, but a sharp backhand to the side of his head had him stilling. Just the look of it sent Lance's head swimming. 

"Hurt him and I swear to God..." Lance warned, once again trying to rise from his position but the foot against him kept him down, "Get your ugly-ass boots off of me. Didn't your mama teach you manners, you uncultured swine." That earned an irritated grumble and more pressure on his shoulder. 

"You, my dear, just get more and more interesting." Lotor grinned over at him before his hand went to behind his own back for a moment, pulling a elongated blade out of its sheath, silver and glinting in the moonlight. Looked like the shooting idea had gone down the drain. "Now, now, I'll make it quick. I'm a nice guy if you get to know me." He tapped the tip of his knife against Keith's chest, just above the heart, while his free hand clasped onto the boy's shoulder, fingers digging into where shoulder met neck. "A quick stab to the heart and he'll be out of the picture." Lotor's lips pulled back into a smirk.

Lance was pretty sure the noise that came from his throat was anything but human. If only he had his guns. Anger wasn't going to get him anywhere and this pain thrumming throughout his body wasn't helping either. It also seemed to amuse Lotor, the knife tracing an 'x' over Keith's chest. 

X marks the spot.

The spot where Lotor was going to stab him.

Where were the others? The comms were just a static-filled buzz in her ear. Every now and then panicked voices would pass through but he'd only catch words. His earpiece must've been broken on impact.

Lance's eyes flickered up to meet Keith's gaze. Keith's mind seemed to have managed to catch up with everything that had just happened. His eyes were sharp, more aware. They also held that burning spark that made Keith, Keith. However, within the moment their eyes met, that spark flickered. It flickered, caught aflame and grew until Lance saw a raging fire form within those gorgeous eyes. And he knew. Keith was going to do something stupid. A silent message passed between the two of them within seconds, Keith's eyes flicking from between Lance to Lotor. It didn't take long before Lance's brain clicked into place. Distraction. And if there was anything Lance was good at, as he'd discovered from this mission, was being the bait. 

"If you let him live, I'll tell you everything there is to know about the Paladins." He said loudly. Lotor's amused smirk dropped into something more serious. The blade's movements stilled as he zoned in fully on Lance, like a hunter to its prey. "If you let him go,"

"You'll tell me everything." Lotor finished for him. His gaze snapped to the man holding Lance down, "Let him up." 

Being man handled when you're dealing with pain in your everywhere is not fun. Lance couldn't stop the small whine from leaving his throat when the man grabbed his hurt shoulder. He was pushed into a kneeling position, the man's hand on his bad shoulder as a silent warning that if he tried anything, he was basically in for a bit of pain. However, he seemed to have gotten Lotor's full attention. Lance looked at Keith briefly to see his eyes dark and clouded with anger. He must've properly seen the state Lance was in. But Lotor had lowered the knife.

"You're not lying to me." Lotor demanded more than anything, as if not giving Lance any other choice. Hah, if only he knew. Lance just shook his head slowly. Lotor was pleased with that. He looked at Keith once last time before 'tsking'. 

It was so sudden that neither of them knew what was coming. Lotor raised his leg in one fluid motion and landed a harsh kick against Keith's chest, knocking the man back onto the floor with a pained grunt. Lance felt a pang of rage at that, immediately going to stand up but a sharp squeeze of the shoulder had him settling back with a hiss between teeth. Keith groaned and rolled onto his side, curling in on himself and muttering under his breath, as Lotor turned and began to approach Lance instead. 

"Tell me everything." Lotor's tone had switched back to a purr, his hand reaching out to caress the side of Lance's face. It snaked up into his hair. His hand was so gentle one second then the next, his fingers curled into his hair and harshly tugged his head back causing his neck to form a painful arch. "Now."

"W-Well..." Lance said through the buzzing pain, "I can't... Can't speak like th-this." 

Lotor let go and stepped back, looking down at him with an expectant raised eyebrow. He really thought Lance would give up key information. There was a long pause where Lance refused to open his mouth. Keith wasn't muttering to himself anymore. He looked to the floor only to feel Lotor's fingers underneath his chin, tilting his head back up. That sickening smirk was on his lips again. 

"Speak." 

Lance remained silent, watching as Lotor's expression slowly yet surely darkened.

"Speak!" 

Lotor landed a sharp slap to the side of his face causing Lance's head to jerk to the side, eyes wide for a split second before he let his own lips curl into a smirk. That stung but it was nothing. He was the bait here, he just hoped Keith got the distraction he needed. 

"Since you hit me, I don't think it's fair that I give you information." Lance said, his expression one of over-exaggerated offence along with his tone. "I'm not telling you now."

"Blue, I don't think you have that option." Lotor said, sounding as though he was trying rather hard to keep his tone smooth and under check. Lance's offended expression morphed into a cheeky grin. 

"Well, I chose that option. Build a bridge and get over it." Lance replied. 

"Would you prefer I kill your precious friend?!" Lotor snapped, suddenly losing his cool. And that just happened to be the same time a gunshot rang out through the air and a meaty thunk followed milliseconds after. Lance felt the grip on his shoulder loosen before it was gone completely. There was a thud behind him. Lotor's eyes went wide. Lance didn't have to second guess to know what had happened. 

The other Paladins were here to swoop in and save the day. "Hip hooray!" Lance found himself cheering as he took the opportunity of distraction to scramble out of the way, ignoring the pain in his body. He made a beeline straight for Keith, who had uncurled and was in the process of sitting up. Kneeling beside him, Lance put a helping hand, consisting of his good arm, on his back to steady him. 

Keith's lips twitched upwards as he looked from the dead body of the man to Lance, looking rather pleased with himself. Lance found himself worriedly checking over him for injuries. There were many cuts and bruises had already formed. There was a gash just below his hairline above his right eyebrow, a trail of blood escaping and running down. Keith was forced to keep the eye closed to keep the blood out. Lance looked to his chest and rest of his body. He was fine. Probably a fractured bone or two in there but he was fine. 

"I called the others." Keith explained. Lance's mind briefly flickered back to when he had saw him curled up and muttering. His earpiece must've been working unlike Lance's. 

Another gunshot. The bullet hit the floor just by Lotor's feet and he brought his leg up quickly with a yelp of surprise. Judging by the closeness of the shot and the stupid ass target, Lance guessed that that must've been aimed to actually hit Lotor. The person shooting is probably quite new on the gun. Lance made a guess that it was Hunk. That man will do anything to protect his friends, even if it meant risking hitting them in shots he couldn't control. The times Lance had taught him had at least paid off. 

Lance saw Lotor's fingers curl into fists in his free hand, knife still gripped in the other. He seemed to be adjusting his grip on the knife. Lance knew what was about to happen, he'd used that hold on a knife before. Right before he threw it. Lance readied himself, ready to jump away, but when Lotor whirled around with his arm poised, Lance knew he wasn't at him. The knife was let loose just as another shot was delivered to the floor near Lotor which, this time, didn't seem to phase him. The knife was heading for Keith.

Lance thanked his quick reflexes as he used his shoulder - the good one thankfully - to push Keith out of the way, twisting his own body as a protective shield. He heard the knife embed itself into himself before he actually felt it. Then came the pain. It had hit his bad shoulder, luckily missing anything too fragile but bringing a hell of a lot of pain his way. Jesus Christ, today was going well for him, wasn't it? The knife jutted out diagonally, thanks to his way of manoeuvring himself to save Keith, out from the gap between shoulder blade and spine. And, boy, did it hurt.

Two hands were placed either side of his face as Keith met his gaze. Concern filled those beautiful violet orbs. He could vaguely hear Lotor chuckling behind him, probably glad he'd managed to get a hit even if it wasn't fatal. Lance did his best to flash a grin through the pain. 

"Just a flesh wound."

Another shot, this one catching Lotor's hip and causing him to cry out as he stumbled forward, hands immediately going to cover the wound. 

But Keith was already on his feet, whispering an apology. His fingers wrapped around the hilt of the knife, then he pulled. Another wave of pain had Lance trying to stifle the noise he was sure he'd made if he hadn't bit his lip. Oh, and guess what? That started bleeding too. 

"I'm finishing our job." Keith practically growled, doing his best to ignore the fact that it was Lance's blood that stained the silver. When the Blue Paladin painfully shuffled into a seating position, turning his torso so he could watch Keith stalk towards the fallen Lotor. 

Lotor's lips were pulled back in a snarl. Lance found himself comparing him to a cornered fox. A trickster, when weakened and trapped, he was ready to bite. Now Lance wasn't going to see a fox the same way ever again. 

Keith held the blade at his side, his eyes locked on Lotor. His back was towards Lance but he didn't doubt that the expression didn't show anything but barely-contained rage. Lance's gaze trailed down to the hand gripping the blade to see that his knuckles were white. That rage wouldn't be contained for long. 

"I guess this is the part where I die, isn't it?" Lotor asked, his voice oddly calm for someone who held such an expression. 

"Yes." Keith replied immediately, coming to a stop only a short distance away.

"Then do it, Paladin." Lotor hissed as he glared up at him, his hands pressed on his gunshot wound, "My father will have your heads." 

"We'll be waiting for him." Keith said.

Lance watched him raise his arm seconds after the words left his mouth before it came down in a swift arc. His eyes followed the knife, how it sliced through Lotor's neck and down his chest in a deep gash. Crimson liquid splattered onto the floor, a picture. 

Lotor's body fell to the floor silently. Keith was on top of him in seconds, legs on either side of him as he brought the knife down on his body. Again and again and again. He didn't stop, his expression was deadly, his hold on the knife tight. He didn't stop. Lotor was dead. He still didn't stop. 

"Keith!" Lance called. Keith's head flung to the side to look at him. Specks of blood decorated the bottom half of his face. "He's dead, you can stop now." Lance ignored the thrumming pain throughout his body as he pushed himself up so he could stand. His good arm went up and behind himself to press on the knife wound. He winced in pain as his palm made contact and that's what spurred Keith into action. 

The raven-haired male stood up immediately, knife dropped, and rushed over to Lance in concern. His hands hovered, unsure of where to put them. He didn't want to cause Lance anymore necessary pain. He'd already released his anger out on Lotor for hurting Lance himself. Lotor throwing that knife had been the last straw, he'd snapped. 

"You do know that once your adrenaline kicks off, you're going to be aching all over. I'm surprised how you did all that with a head wound." Lance said, corners of his lips quirking upwards. 

Realisation dawned on Keith's face. "Oh." Was all he could manage out. 

That seemed to be the others' cue to finally show their asses. Pulling up in Allura's black van. Well, it was more like a mini bus. Pidge was the first to climb out, immediately walking over to the two and seemed to be eyeing the duo in silence. The others, minus Coran strangely, were quick to follow. Hunk made a wild dash straight for Lance, looking as though he was about to scoop him up into his arms, but Keith held up a hand which put Hunk to a halt, surprising both he and Lance. Shiro circled around the two so he could pat Keith on the shoulder with a reassuring smile then go to check on the body. 

"Well... You definitely did a number on him." Shiro commented.

"Keith seriously seemed to have hulked out on him." Pidge piped in after she seemed satisfied with the fact she'd seen that neither of them were fatally wounded or in dire need of medical attention. 

"Keith smash!" Lance deepened his voice, pretending to flex his muscles, only to cause another wave of pain through his body, "Ow, ow ow." He whined, taking a few seconds to compose himself before Keith spoke. 

"You're late."

"Sorry, got held up. He had a few of his minions blocking the way." Hunk replied, sounding sincerely apologetic. 

Lance then smiled, "It's alright. You get here just in time. I taught you well, didn't I, Hunk? You shot like a... an almost-pro." 

"I didn't shoot anyone." Came Hunk's reply, looking rather confused. 

"Coran did." Allura said as she walked over from the car. Lance's jaw dropped. "He is a lot more skilled than you believe him to be. I called him when we ran into some trouble on the way here." Lance was definitely impressed. He may not have been the best shot but he sure as hell saved them. Lance was sure to thank him later. Allura seemed to take in their appearances then. "Alright, lovebirds, you two need to get yourself healed up. We'll sort out the body. We will get paid a pretty sum for this, well done you two." 

Lovebirds? Lance was pretty sure his cheeks just poofed into bright red, eyes going round and wide. He glanced to the side to see Keith with a similar expression. Pidge was snickering behind her hand as she looked between the two of them. 

"We are not lovebirds!" The duo exclaimed in unison.

Did they seriously just risk their lives to get teased like this? You'd expect more worry when you're practically bruised and battered. Not from this lot, though. Well, this was one job down. There were many, many more to follow and they'd had many, many more in the past. They were sure to risk and have practically already risked their lives. 

This was just another day in being a Paladin.

"I blame you for the motorbike crash." Lance grumbled as they made their way to the car. 

"You're the one who was sitting on my lap. I got shot." 

"In the arm, that's nothing."

"Have you ever been shot in the arm? Look," Keith showed him the wound, "It's hurting like hell." It didn't look too bad, not at all. But Lance didn't point that out. He'd let him have this one.

"Have you ever had a knife thrown into your shoulder?" 

"Don't compare our injuries." 

"Hey, I got it to save you and I don't even get a thanks." Lance poked his bottom lip out in a pout. Honestly, he didn't want any thanks, the fact that he'd managed to keep Keith from getting hurt was all he needed. 

"Thank you, Lance." Keith said sincerely, pausing at the side of the car. Lance stopped too and turned to face him. "But you got hurt to save me. That I'm not thankful for." They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment. Keith looked so serious. He felt guilty. Lance could tell. He saw it in those violet pools he'd grown to love. 

"And I'd do it again." Lance said, finality clear in his tone. 

Another moment of silence passed between them. Lance, of course, had to be the one to break it. 

"You look like shit." 

"Jesus fucking Christ, Lance, just get in the car."

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't sure how to end it, annoyingly, so the end is a little rough. 
> 
> This might turn into a series as I want to go more into depth with the others as well. I love them all.


End file.
